First Day with Polar F4 Success!

artschoolgirl

I just wanted to praise my new Polar F4! I burned 1,000 calories at the gym today & didn't want to leave after staying for an hour and a half! I just wanted to keep going & going! My new HRM is sooo motivating! It's truly the best tool for anyone trying to shed the pounds & get healthy!

I hope everyone is had a great weekend! :drinker:

artschoolgirl

I just wanted to praise my new Polar F4! I burned 1,000 calories at the gym today & didn't want to leave after staying for an hour and a half! I just wanted to keep going & going! My new HRM is sooo motivating! It's truly the best tool for anyone trying to shed the pounds & get healthy!

I hope everyone is had a great weekend! :drinker:

vickim26

I am curious. What is a Polar F4.

Iceprincessk25

oh the HRM is the bomb! :explode:

I don't go to the gym for a certain amount of time anymore. Now I go for a certain amount of calories burned. It is DEFINITELY motivating!!! Greatest thing I have ever bought. It's a must have tool for weight loss!:drinker:

vickim26

Never mind. I figured it out. I also have one and love it.

hiddensecant

Yeah, those things have a tendency to make you want to keep going! :laugh:

NurseMisty

I have one too! I love it!

I have a question though. Mine is set to beep at me if I'm under 122 or over 160. Why those numbers and what happens when I go over those numbers? Do I burn less calories because I'm taxing myself?

Iceprincessk25

The HRM are set to measure out what your 70% and 50% or sometimes 80% and 60% of your maximum heart rate. It's a simple formula that they use based on your age. It's supposedly a good area for your heart rate to be while you work out. Songbyrd gave me a great explanation that I will post in a sec....

Iceprincessk25

Well the 'cardio zone' vs. 'fat burning zone' is pretty dated, but every once in a while it pops back up like a cold sore.

People generally refer to the 'cardio zone' as the heart rate level during which you burn only 'sugar'. Some people think it's ineffective for fat loss, or dangerous because it puts too much strain on the heart (which is total bull). The 'fat burning zone' is generally thought to be a lower heart rate level that burns more fat and is the only thing necessary during weight loss and it spares all your glycogen for lifting, yadda yadda.

However, it's all crap, and here's what really happens:

At lower intensities, like while sitting, you're utilizing about 70% calories from oxidative systems that can use fatty acids, and 30% from non-oxidative systems that use glucose. However, you're burning almost nothing. Obviously, even though you're using more fatty acids, you're not burning calories and you're not improving your cardiovascular health. The same goes for low-intensity exercise (<65% MHR). You're still using glucose and fatty acids. At moderate levels, about 65-75% MHR, you're using glucose and fatty acids at about a 50/50 split and burning far more calories than you would at lower HR's. You can keep this up for a loooooooong time. And at higher HR, about 85%+, you're burning about 25% fatty acids and 75% glucose, but wasting a lot of calories. You can't sustain it as long though, because you teeter at the lactic acid threshold, and lactic acid causes pH changes that don't allow for proper energy production, so you reach fatigue. However, you're still going to use BOTH glucose and fatty acids, and the better trained you are, the better you can use fatty acids even at high intensities. It's important to incorporate all types of training to prevent overuse injuries and train your energy systems dynamically. But it's better to include moderate-high intensity work more often because it burns more calories and improves your cardiovascular health as well.

NurseMisty

Great info! Thank you!